


Crisis

by frenzysalmon



Category: A Quiet Place (2018)
Genre: Alternate Ending, Angst, Blood and Injury, F/M, Injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-09
Updated: 2018-05-09
Packaged: 2019-05-04 10:26:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14591016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frenzysalmon/pseuds/frenzysalmon
Summary: An alternate ending to A Quiet Place, and what comes after.Even with the creatures gone, it does not mean the Abbotts are free from other ordeals.





	Crisis

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't beta-read. If you haven't watched A Quiet Place, note that this fic is full of spoilers. You've been warned. Maybe I'll write more when my muse fires up again. Who knows?

_You have to protect them_.

The blinding pain in his side flared when he tried to stand, but he knew that was the least of his problems right now. The creature had not been close enough to deliver a fatal blow, so he was grateful at least that he still had time to think of a way to get his kids away from it.

He watched, horrified and wide-eyed as the creature screeched and slammed its spiny legs against the roof of the truck, denting the metal in the process. The old truck jostled about as the creature climbed all around it, looking for a way to bust into the rusty old truck to reach his children.

Lee’s eyes met Regan’s. He released his hold on the axe, and it fell to the ground with a thud. The creature stopped what it was doing, turning towards the source of the sound curiously.

Regan’s face was a mix of confusion and terror, he focused his gaze on her. He wanted one last look at his daughter before he dies.

He raised his hands, and signed. _I. Love. You._

_I have always loved you._

He inhaled deeply, ready to scream. Ready to accept his fate.

Then he saw Regan, moving quickly.

And before he could even make a sound, something he had never seen before happened. The creature which was facing him suddenly arched its back and started convulsing, like its body was electrocuted. It screeched in pain, before breaking from its painful trance and running away, far from them.

Lee did not realize he was holding his breath all along. When silence reigned again, he felt all the strength leaving his body, and he fell to his knees as his legs failed to support him. His vision swam.

Marcus and Regan climbed out of the truck and ran towards him. The last thing he saw was his children’s faces, streaked with tears.

He smiled and wanted to tell them. _Don’t cry, please don’t cry_. _Everything is fine now, you’re safe._

Regan and Marcus each lifted his arm over their tiny shoulders. He wanted to help them, but his body refused to do as he wished. His heart clenched at the sight of Regan’s panicked and sorrowful expression.

 _You’re safe now_.

And he was pulled into oblivion.

* * *

He jolted awake with a loud gasp, then quickly covered his mouth in fear and accidentally pulled on something that stung the back of his palm badly. A hand grabbed his forearm firmly but gently, and he almost fought back until he came face to face with his wife.

“It’s me, it’s me,” Evelyn assured him, rubbing her thumb against the back of his palm. His erratic breathing slowed somehow at the sight of his wife, safe and sound next to him. “You need to lay down, or you’ll reopen the wound,” she gestured to his abdomen, and he did as she said.

Funny how their roles were reversed now.

He stared at the saline drip that his wife had set up for him, and his wound, sutured and cleaned and wrapped with a bandage. Then he looked at the room around him, and froze.

They were out in the open, and not in the soundproof basement. He stared at Evelyn, wide-eyed and signed frantically. _We have to leave._

His beautiful wife shook her head and smiled. She spoke in a low whisper. “It’s alright. They’re gone,”

Lee’s face morphed from fear to confusion.

“These creatures weren’t so invincible after all. We’re safe for now. We’ve killed all three while you were unconscious. This area is safe, for now,”

He expelled a breath he didn’t know he had been holding all this while. From the doorway he saw Marcus and Regan passing by, with their newborn son in Regan’s arms. Marcus saw his father awake and his face lit up with such happiness. He leaped into the room but did it as silent as possible, still fearful of making loud sounds. Regan smiled as well, and Lee had never felt such security for so long.

They both hugged him while he returned their embrace, kissing both his children on the crowns of their heads. Lee then looked at the latest member of their family, his infant son so quiet as he napped. He held him gently and looked at his wife with tears in his eyes.

“His name,” Evelyn said while signing, for Regan’s sake. “is Adrian,”

Lee ran a hand softly over the babe’s head, and the infant only moved slightly in his sleep. He had been ready to die for his children, for his wife who went through the worst situation just to bring life into this hellish world. However he realised all this happiness was temporary. They only managed to get rid of the monsters near them, the rest of the world was still infested by millions of them.

Any time the little farm they lived on could be ambushed by these creatures. They can never let their guard down.

“They might come back, Evelyn,” Lee looked at his wife and said solemnly. “We can’t let our guard down, we don’t know when they will be back,”

Evelyn merely smiled sadly and kissed him on the cheek. “I know. When you’re healed completely you will have plenty of time to worry about it. Just rest for now,”

He listened to her, and fell into a deep slumber not long after, surrounded by his loving family.

* * *

 

It hadn’t been long before another crisis happened. But it wasn’t about the monsters.

Lee had been up and running ever since he was strong enough to walk on his own. He reinforced the security of the area, planting new caches of fireworks for emergencies with whatever supplies they had left. Regan listened to him and stayed behind to help her mother with laundry and housework, whereas Marcus followed his father around to learn how to make tripwires. Lee came up with the idea of using tripwires to alert them of the presence of the monsters, lighting up the red lights around that area if the creatures were to ever snap the wire.

They were about to head back to the house with the day’s catch when Regan ran towards them on the sand path. There were tear streaks on her face, and relief crossed her face when she saw them.

Lee’s heart wrenched, knowing something ill had happened.

Regan signed quickly and fearfully. _It’s Mom. Something is wrong._

They quickly ran back to the house, with Regan leading them. Back in the house, the smell of antiseptic was strong in the air, and when Lee entered the house he saw his wife on the couch with a blanket over her, shivering as her face was covered with a sheen of cold sweat.

He knelt down next to her and noticed the almost-empty bottle of antiseptic solution, the contents spilling over the carpeted floor. Evelyn’s hand had been trying to reach for it, but now it only lay limp above the bottle, trembling with throes of pain.

“What’s wrong? What happened?” Lee whispered in his wife’s ear, pressing a palm against her forehead. She was running a fever.

“My… my foot,” her teeth chattered so much. He pulled back the blanket and was horrified to see the wound beneath her foot festering. “I should have known. We were running low on medical supplies and that was the last antiseptic we had,”

His hand reached out and squeezed hers, wishing he could switch places with her.

“I’ll go back to town,” Lee said, his face written with determination. “I’ll scavenge the hospital for supplies, there should be plenty there,”

Evelyn shook her head vehemently. “It’s dangerous,”

“I won’t let you die,” Lee brought her hand to his lips. Marcus signed to his sister, his eyes watering. “Tell me what you need, and how much time I have left,”

Knowing she couldn’t convince her husband to think otherwise, she pulled him closer and began whispering the items needed in his ear.

* * *

 

He stared at the list in his notepad and packed the rations and items needed for the journey. Marcus had found the last bit of spirit left in the cellar and they quickly heated it, applying to the wound on her foot to stall the infection for now. Just as he slung his backpack over his shoulder, Regan nudged him.

 _You can’t go alone. Let me come with you._ She signed to him.

_No. It’s too dangerous. Stay here and look after your mother and your brothers. I need you here._

_Marcus can do that_ , Regan frowned. _You don’t know how many of them there are in town._ She pushed her hair behind her ear, revealing the hearing aid he had failed to fix and yet had saved their lives.

 _We know what’s their weakness now. And if I come with you, we can search faster. Mom is running out of time_.

Lee looked back at the couch where his wife laid, helpless and in pain. Adrian had been put to sleep after he was fed, and Marcus’ face was full of sadness as he wiped sweat from his mother’s brow.

 _Fine,_ he relented, and Regan’s face brightened. _But you have to stay closely behind, watch and step only where I step, don’t touch anything unless I said it’s safe to touch._

Regan nodded enthusiastically, and Lee had never been more proud of his daughter.

* * *

 

It took them a few hours to get to town, passing by Beau’s grave on the bridge. Regan noticed how her father’s shoulders were slumped and his head bowed sadly as they passed by Beau’s cross. But they simply continued walking because they had not time to lose.

Reaching the desecrated city, Regan felt a strange sense of nostalgia. She could not hear what was going on in her surrounding, but she could feel the hair on her arms rising, proving that the area was eerily quiet. She watched every step carefully just as her father warned, and they approached the main entrance of the hospital.

The interior of the hospital was dark. The electricity in the area had failed due to such a long time. Her father took out his torch and Regan followed, illuminating the area around them.

Her father was looking around when he froze suddenly, then he stood in such a way that Regan could not see what he was seeing. He looked behind her, and his eyes were full of fear and sorrow, he shook his head and signalled her not to look.

She followed his advice, and looked away. But that did not mean she couldn’t smell the foul stench of corpses that had somehow stayed in the hospital.

Her father led them into the pharmacy and began checking the list on his notepad. Looking through the shelves, he gestured Regan to the boxes of cotton wool, gauzes and bandages laying in a bundle and a plastic first aid-kit near them. Regan nodded, and carefully placed the items in the backpack she brought.

She looked back at her father, who began hording every medical supplies and tools he could get. There was a large carton of alcohol sitting idly, and he handed over a syringe and a bottle of anaesthetic to Regan, who had more space in her backpack.

He slowly wrapped the surgical supplies in a plastic and put it in his backpack. Regan noticed a bottle of painkillers and antibiotics laying around, and she pulled her father’s sleeve. She pointed at the two bottles, and her father nodded at her, then signed. _Good find._

She smiled. The bottles were covered in cobwebs, yet when she tried to take the bottles, they were stuck to the shelf. Frowning, she tugged the bottle harder, yet it held fast and refused to even budge.

Frustrated, Regan carefully held the rungs on the shelf on one hand and another hand on the bottle, then with a heave she pulled _hard._

The bottles gave way, and the remains of a bony hand shattered and fell before her feet. Her heart leaped to her throat and she instinctively covered her mouth with her hand, straining herself from making any sounds.

A skull stared at her from behind the shelf, and in its fragile and delicate state broke just like its shattered hands. The skull fell to the ground and was smashed to tiny bone fragments.

Regan stared wide eyed. She did not need to hear to know that she made a noise.

Something circled her waist and hoisted her up before she realized what was happening. Then she recognised her father’s strong arms as he quickly dashed into the room next to the pharmacy. She could not understand what was going on, she felt reverberations everywhere around her, but without the light from the torch, they were blind just like the creatures.

He placed her on the ground, then held a hand up in the air. She remained deadly still, too afraid to even move.

She could feel it, the creatures stalking across the hallway with every slow, lumbering step they took, the vibrations that she could feel as she pressed her back against the wall.

She held her breath. Her father sneaked a glance at the doorway.

After what felt like eternity, he met her eyes with a sombre gaze, and signed. _They don’t know we’re hiding. We can sneak past them._

 _I’m sorry._ Regan’s lips quivered.

Her father merely shook his head. _Stay closely behind, and don’t turn on your hearing aid unless I tell you so._

Regan nodded, and rose to her feet just as her father did. He held her hand tightly, and slowly led her out into the hallway, into the unknown.

And there she saw it. The creatures on the far right, their spindly legs feeling around the walls and making rattling noises as they moved at a glacial pace. She could see its head separating into tiny little fragments that expanded and contracted, revealing its acute auditory senses within.

Without knowing, Regan’s hand went to her hearing aid. In the dark she could see her father’s silhouette, and could make out his head shaking. _No, not yet._

The creature rumbled, then moved further away from them. She was about to take another step before her father lifted her up in his arms, and she only wound her arms around his neck, afraid that her flailing limbs may accidentally knock over furniture and draw the creature’s attention.

Her father moved at a very careful pace, and at one point he stopped for a full minute. She dreadfully lifted her head from his shoulder, and realized why he stopped.

They were already at the hall where the main entrance was. But what stood between them and the door was one of the monsters, creeping around the empty seats.

Even if they managed to sneak past the monster, there was no way they could open the door with such a close proximity with the monster. Her father’s hand on her back tightened, and Regan knew he was trying hard to think of a way to get past it.

She felt herself being lowered to the ground, and she was face to face with her father. His eyes were sorrowful.

_I will have to draw the creature away. Once it’s far enough, you make a run for it._

Regan shook her head. _Not without you. We leave together._

Her father grimaced, staring at the creature intently, as though crunching the odds in his head. They had to get out of here alive. Her mother’s life depends on it. Regan stared at the door, then at the creature long enough, and wondered. _What if...?_

She tapped her father on the shoulder, then signed. _We make them open the door for us_

She watched the subtle shift in her father’s face, and he rummaged through his backpack. Then he took out an empty glass bottle, which he took from home.

 _On my signal,_ he signed, his face full of determination. Regan nodded.

He drew his hand back and threw the bottle towards the door. It whisked into the air, before smashing against the entrance with a resonating sound. The creature reacted immediately.

But what happened next surprised them, the other two creatures which had been hidden just now all dashed towards the entrance with frightening speed, and all three of them slammed and tore the door from its hinges, screeching and wishing death upon whatever it was that made the sound. The three creatures crashed into each other and made a havoc, their armoured body so hard that it smashed chunks from the walls.

Satisfied with eliminating the source of the noise, the creatures left the hospital and ran off to other places.

Regan looked at her father, and they both smirked.

* * *

 

Marcus carefully placed Adrian who was sound asleep back into his crib after feeding him and changing his diapers. He felt jittery, wondering if Regan and Dad were safe out there, if they were in any danger. He was afraid that they would leave him all alone here with little Adrian and mom, who at this point was drifting in and out of consciousness.

Sighing, Marcus kissed Adrian on his tiny forehead. He then moved to his mother, who was still burning with fever yet shivering so much. Marcus had covered her with as many sweaters as he could without smothering her. Her face was completely pale and he feared for her life – she had given him everything, from love to a sense of security, yet there was nothing he could do to help her.

He soaked the rag with cool water, then pressed it hard against his mother’s forehead, hoping that her fever would abate a little.

She gasped as the rag touched her skin, her eyes opening a little. “Marcus?” her voice was no louder than a forced whisper, but he heard her.

“Mom? Are you still feeling cold?”

Evelyn smiled and shook her head, despite the obvious tremors in her hands. She swallowed before saying. “Not when you’re here with me,”

Marcus felt his eyes brim with tears, but he held them back. “You told me, I have to take care of you,”

“You’re just like your Dad,” she chuckled weakly. “I see the likeness now,”

“He's coming back,” Marcus tried to sound brave, even though somewhere in the back of his mind was a sliver of doubt that his father and Regan were in trouble and might never come back. “You’ll be better soon,”

His mother’s eyes looked off in a distance, and Marcus looked where she was staring. Relief overwhelmed him when he saw his father and his sister walking down the sand path with a hastened pace, his father’s face marred with worry.

“Marcus, stay here with Regan. I'm taking your mother to the basement,” Dad whispered to Marcus hastily, and he exchanged glances with Regan. Dad then took something from his bag – a device with only a button on it. “If you see anything unusual, just press this. I’ll know,”

Marcus watched as Regan unloaded the items from her bag, handing them over to Dad. He whispered something inaudible in Mom’s ear, which Mom gave a light nod. He then sneaked his arms under her and lifted her, blankets and all.

The young boy watched as his parents went into the basement, with Dad pulling the mattress over them. After the ordeal, they had managed to drain all the water from the basement, and reinforced it for emergencies. It saddened him that they would never ever be safe, even if they had found a way to fight those monsters.

His sister pulled his sleeve, and he noticed that she was thinking the same thing. _Mom will be fine,_ Regan signed, flashing him a convincing smile. _Dad will make sure of it_.

Marcus returned her smile, and decided he needed something to distract him from the harrowing situation. _What did you see in the city?_

The grin on her face widened with a glint of mischief in her eyes. _You won’t believe this_.

* * *

 

He placed her gently on the bed, unable to ignore how violently she trembled in his arms. “Evelyn.” Lee called her, nudging her awake.

She jolted awake, a choked gasp coming out of her mouth.

“I found everything you needed. You have to walk me through this,” Lee arranged the surgical instruments and sterilized them with the solution just as she mentioned. His hands were trembling with fear.

Evelyn swallowed. “How… How bad is it?”

Lee lifted the edge of the blanket and took a good look at her wound. It had gone completely black, and was oozing pus. It was obviously worse than the previous day he looked at it.

“Half of your foot has gone black. It’s spreading,”

Evelyn’s breath hitched. She stared into his eyes long enough for him to know what she was thinking.

“Did you bring it, just as I said? Just in case?”

Lee held his breath, and he shook his head. “No, you can’t ask that of me,”

“Only you can do it,” her voice was now reduced to a ragged whisper.

“If it must be done, I have to put you to sleep,”

“No,” she protested. “A few painkillers will do. I have to be conscious. If I’m asleep, you wouldn’t know what to do,”

Lee released a shaky breath. Then took out a surgical saw from his backpack and began sterilizing it. He gave Evelyn the bottle of painkillers, not knowing how much she would need. He tied a tourniquet just above her ankle, tightening it.

She immediately popped a few in her mouth, dry swallowing them. She told him about the procedure and what he needed to prepare, then gave a nod of approval when she saw how neatly her husband arranged the surgical instruments.

Lee took a rag and gave it to his wife. She smiled and mouthed _thanks_ to him, then bit down on it hard.

Lee clenched his hand on the surgical saw as he held it above her ankle. “Ready?” Evelyn nodded.

He took a deep breath, then pressed the sharp jagged edge of the saw against her flesh. Gnawing his bottom lip, he ran the saw down. His wife’s back arched in pain as she choked on her scream, her eyes widening in excruciating pain.

Blood spilled and stained the white cloth underneath. Lee focused on his task, ignoring how his wife’s fingers curled and shook violently as she threw her head back, restraining herself from screaming. The loudest noise she had let out was a rough grunt, so animalistic that it scared him. As he reached the bone, tears were already running down his face, but he continued, using even more force as he sawed into the bone.

By the time he had filed the rough edges of the sawed bone, Evelyn was already laying limply in the bed. She had chewed on another two painkillers before he did the transection, and he had to take the bottle away from her before she would overdose on them.

Once he was done, he looked at her. Weakly, she raised her hands and signed with the last ounce of her strength. _Pull the muscle flaps over the stump, then stitch it together._ With steady hands, he threaded the needle and began closing the wound. Every now and then he would look at her face to see if she was still conscious, or if she was still breathing.

“It’s done,” Lee cut off the last suture, his hands clammy from the effort. “Evelyn?” he nudged her awake, and removed the rag from her mouth. She was biting on it so hard there were torn marks on the fabric.

“Now…” he had to lean closer to listen to her. “The antiseptic,” He understood immediately, and dabbed her stump with the bottle of antiseptic he found from the hospital.

“Is that it?” he asked. Her eyes were already drooping from exhaustion.

“Yes,” even amidst the pain and horror, she still smiled at him. Lee’s eyes blurred from his tears, and he was overwhelmed when he leaned close and kissed her hard on her lips, his hand pressing hard on the back of her head. She could only reciprocate weakly. But that was all he needed.

“Rest,” he brushed her blonde hair from her face. “When you wake, I will be here,”

Her eyes closed for good this time. And she fell into deep slumber.

* * *

 

She had the most beautiful dream ever.

She dreamt that she was free of pain, just resting in the hospital’s white bed after Beau was born. She held him close to her chest, his small eyes still closed and arms making tiny bits of movement. Her husband was by her side, smiling and laughing at the bundle of joy in her arms.

Marcus was too scared to hold his little baby brother, but he was awed by the sight of him. Regan wouldn’t stop smiling, and she sometimes wished she could hear her laughter.

She felt genuine joy, surrounded by the people she loved the most in the world. But the unnatural heat seared into her skin, and she felt reality pulling her from her dream.

_Evelyn._

She woke, her eyelids extremely heavy but she was determined to get up. Her limbs were like jelly, out of her control. She only laid there helplessly and tried to make sense of her surroundings.

A small cool hand pressed against her forehead, then her neck. “Mom’s still feverish,” she recognised that voice. She hadn’t heard it for so long, but she knew whose voice it belonged to.

“Marcus?” she called, hoping her small voice could reach his ears. The blurry figure before her turned abruptly.

“Dad, Dad! Mom’s awake!”

A rustle of footsteps, and a larger figure loomed close to her. “Marcus, go upstairs and help your sister,” her vision cleared for a brief moment, and she saw him, Lee close to her, a worried expression marring his handsome face.

“How do you feel?”

Evelyn croaked. _Sore, tired, weak,_ she wanted to say, but she could not find the strength to tell him so.

It was like he knew, and he held a bowl of broth close to her lips. “Here,” sliding an arm under her shoulder, he propped her up so she could eat better. She opened her lips and let him guide her, slowly sloshing the broth in her mouth.

After finishing it, he laid her head down on the pillow again, tucking her in with the blankets so that she was comfortable. He gave her two pills and a glass of water, for her fever, and when she was done she felt overwhelmed by lethargy again.

Lee watched her as her eyes started to droop, but he could tell she was struggling to stay awake, not to be lulled by slumber. Evelyn wanted to talk to him, wanted to feel him, she at least owed him that.

Lee understood, he always did. He only carded his fingers through her hair and kissed her endearingly on the forehead.

“It’s alright, rest,” he waited a while, contemplating his next words, then said. “I love you,”

And she slept again, dreaming the same dream.

Except this time, they came.

Lee running towards him, her baby boy. Her boy who was oblivious to the dangers around him, who was too young to know that the difference between life and death in their new world was a sound.

_Evelyn?_

It happened quickly. A part of her died that day, seeing her baby son ripped away violently.

_Evelyn, wake up._

She opened her eyes, and it took a while to let the dizziness in her vision clear. There was an odd itch that she could never pinpoint somewhere on her foot. Her erratic breathing slowed to a steadier pace, and all her fears were gone when Lee’s worried face came into view.

“You were thrashing in your sleep,” he pressed the back of his palm against her forehead. “Your fever’s gone,”

“How long have I been out?”

Lee took a brief glance at his watch. “Almost two days. You were in and out of consciousness, but everything’s alright now. Here,” he held a glass of water to her lips and helped her drink. She squeezed his hand gratefully.

“You must be famished. The children are just reheating some canned food,”

She shook her head. “I’m not hungry,”

Lee’s brows furrowed. She could never keep something from her husband, he always could tell when something was amiss.

“Is it that dream again?”

She did not answer. He did not need one to know.

“It’s not your fault. It isn’t anyone’s fault,”

Evelyn shook her head. “The guilt will always be there, it’s not something that can be shut out so easily,”

She saw a glimmer in his eyes. Sadness. Grief. “I wish I know how to take all the pain away,”

“You’ve already done so much for us. I can never be grateful enough,” Holding his hand in hers, she gently ran the ball of her thumb down his rough knuckles. His hand, so rough and calloused, yet the one that she found most comforting and safe. “That night when you were hurt, I had never feared anything more in my life,”

She could sense the discomfort in him, as his body had become rigid. Clearing his throat, he smiled at her and said. “I’ve made you something while you sleep,” he showed her what he had been working on – a makeshift prosthetic for her amputated foot. She knew he had always been a resourceful and brilliant engineer, yet he always found new ways to amaze her every day. “When you’re stronger, you can try it on. For now, just rest,”

She chuckled. “Who would cook and do the laundry while I slack off?”

“Regan’s done most of the work, she’s learning to be a good cook,” Lee’s smile was a genuine one, radiating warmth. “And Marcus is a prodigy in babysitting. Adrian hardly cries when he cradles him. And you should see the way he feeds him…”

As Lee kept talking about what their children did while she was unconscious, she couldn’t help but notice how proud he looked. She was no longer listening to him as she was dragged into her own mind, thinking about how far her children had come, how intelligent they had become, that it was no longer the parents who looked after their children, but the complete opposite.

Lee suddenly stopped mid-sentence, his joyful face marred by panic. “Evelyn? Are you fine?”

It took her a while to notice that there were tears rolling down, and her fingers trembled as she felt her wet cheeks. Her husband got worried, but he waited for her to speak.

“No. No, I’m alright,” she dismissed his concern with a wave of her hand. “It’s just that… Our children. We’ve taught them everything we could, educated them, told them what are the should’s and shouldn’ts. They’re smart, they learnt well,” her eyes burnt as more tears fell. “And they don’t need us anymore,”

Her husband’s face saddened as well.

“I once feared that… if one day we were to pass on, who would look after them? Would they know what to do, or how to survive each day? Would they starve?” despite her tears, Evelyn chuckled. “But now, I don’t have to worry anymore. I am so proud of them,”

Lee had tears in his eyes as well. “Me too. They are so strong, both physically and mentally. Do you know they carried me when I fainted?”

Evelyn was about to say something, when they turned to the rustle of the mattress being pushed away. Then their little boy poked his head down, and signed. _Dinner._

He then noticed his mother awake, and his eyes widened in excitement. He quickly turned to his sister and signed rapidly, and it wasn’t long before both Regan and Marcus were running down the basement, and throwing themselves at their mother. Evelyn smiled, the warm fuzzy feeling spreading within her.

 _We’ll bring the food down._ Lee signed to them all. _Tonight, we eat with your mother._

And so they did – with her sipping broth from a bowl, slowly pecking small morsels of fish as her appetite hadn’t returned yet. Adrian was drinking from a bottle in the crib, with the milk powder Lee and Regan managed to forage on their way back.

She watched as Regan and Marcus playfully signed at each other, and Lee gently chiding them not to play with their food. Evelyn only chuckled, and asked to hold Adrian as she missed him badly too. She watched the scene unfolded before her, meeting Lee’s loving eyes as they were both thinking of the same thing.

That they felt like the luckiest people in the world.


End file.
